Baking & Snack - August 2017 - 37

OPERATIONS
Otis Spunkmeyer

Bring the Spunk,
Otis Spunkmeyer declares 'No Funky Stuff' as it rolls
into its 40th year and ventures into new territory.
by Joanie Spencer

Otis Spunkmeyer knows how to have a good time. Well,
not the man - there actually is no "Mr. Spunkmeyer" -
but the brand. After 40 years in business, the past decade
under ARYZTA ownership, this Los Angeles-based company has taken its iconic cookie brand from a California
retail chain to a leader in the foodservice sector.
Today, it's come full circle with foods sold directly to
consumers through retail, club, dollar and c-store channels, not to mention offerings in school fundraising programs. And the company is doing it all with the nostalgic whimsy that is quintessentially Otis.
"What we say about Otis Spunkmeyer is that we're
fun. We're retro. We're witty," said Charice Grace, brand
director. "That's how we were established, and it's how
we continue - in a fun way."

Happy birthday, Mr. Spunkmeyer
Born as a fictional name, Otis Spunkmeyer was the idea
of the late founder Ken Rawling's daughter Kimberly, a
tween at the time. Now celebrating the big 4-0, the brand
is practically a household name.
Beginning as a concept to take on the cookie shops
like Mrs. Fields, Otis Spunkmeyer soon branched out
to deliver frozen cookie dough to foodservice establishments, which would eventually lead to its No. 1 ranking
in foodservice desserts for both its frozen cookie dough
and finished cookies.
After dominating the foodservice space, Otis
Spunkmeyer moved into school fundraising by offering its
frozen cookie dough for purchase. It was a sector dear to
Mr. Rawlings, who often hosted employees' kids in afterschool activities and even on tours via the company's twinengine vintage jet. "Ken Rawlings was a big advocate of
supporting his employees and associates and their families

and giving back through various organizations," Ms. Grace
said. "We've always given back, and it's always been fun."

True to its roots
Over the years, Otis Spunkmeyer has remained true to the
personality of its brand. The playfulness at its roots is now
part of the nostalgia that people identify with its foods.
In an age where throwback is the fashion and transparency is the rage, change has become inevitable for
many food producers, and Otis Spunkmeyer is no exception. In fact, the company decided to rewrite the
rules and develop No Funky Stuff foods: a commitment
to remove all artificial colors and flavors, high-fructose
corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated oils.
"Over the past 40 years, what's really changed is the
launch of No Funky Stuff," Ms. Grace said. "We've taken
this brand from where we started and made our foods
even better."
Developing the No Funky Stuff platform was far from
an easy task; in fact, it was nothing short of a journey, according to Jonathan Davis, senior vice-president of R&D
for ARYZTA. And the brand, known for its whimsy,
took this commitment quite seriously.
For Mr. Davis and his team, it wasn't just about the
ingredients; they went all the way to the sources. In fact,
when it came to No Funky Stuff, nothing was safe from
scrutiny. For example, the margarines and butter blends
had to show the source of the beta carotene. "We had to
work with our suppliers for a guaranteed commitment
to this initiative to bring in natural sources, right down
to that beta carotene," he said.
The move to No Funky Stuff was about serving customers and consumers through change. "We wanted to
change the conversation, change the level of our com-

Robert Mina (left), vicepresident, operations for
ARYZTA, and Charice Grace,
Otis Spunkmeyer brand director, bring together a sharp
operational focus and the fun
of an iconic brand.
Photos by Vito Palmisano

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